Bodybuilding's Next FrontierThe Waterbury High Frequency System by Chad Waterbury

The Future of Bodybuilding

For the last year I've been building my case for the muscle-building power of a well-designed high frequency training program. I introduced the world to my Perfect 10 program in order to give you a taste of high frequency training. Those who followed the program as prescribed were ecstatic with the results.

However, the plan was limited to one or two body parts. Why didn't I release a plan that targeted the entire body? Simple: I needed more data.

At any given time, I work with about fifty different trainees from all walks of life. That's a pretty respectable sample, but I wasn't satisfied with the amount of data I'd collected. So I waited around for the last year to accumulate feedback from the T-Nation population. In the meantime, I kept manipulating my clients' parameters in order to find a system that works best for muscle growth.

In fact, I've been experimenting with high frequency plans ever since I first witnessed the Cirque du Soleil show in Vegas. But I didn't want to devise a system that works well; I wanted to create a system that works incredibly well. I believe that high frequency training is the future of bodybuilding, and I wasn't going to skimp on any detail!

What I'm going to share with you is a hypertrophy training system that works better than any other parameters known to man. I'm usually very reluctant to make any claims regarding the results that my programs produce, but I'll say this: the following program will build muscle faster than you've ever built it before. And that's no bullshit.

This high frequency training system is based upon the following maxim: the more often you train a muscle – in an intelligent way – the more hypertrophy you'll achieve. It really is that simple, albeit in a complicated way. How's that for a duplicitous statement?

Clean Your Slate

Let's say I had a device that could totally wipe out all of the bodybuilding information that you've ever heard or read. If I had such a tool, I'd use it. But since I don't, you must do your best to avoid thinking about anything else you've ever been taught. Open up your mind and answer the following question for me:

If you knew absolutely nothing about bodybuilding parameters, what would you do to a muscle in order to make it grow as fast as possible?

Which answer makes the most sense? I think it's safe to say that most of you would choose option A. So why have so many bodybuilders chosen option B? Does it make sense?

I'll tell you why many bodybuilders choose option B: because they want it to be true. The mind is a powerful, and sometimes deceiving, tool. Wouldn't we all be thrilled to the gills if we could grow maximum muscle with only one workout per body part every 7-10 days?

Sure, such an infrequent plan would turn your fitness levels, work capacity, and cardiovascular conditioning into shit, but hey, who wants to spend a lot of time building a better body, right?

Since we live in an overly-stressed modern world with the clock spinning out of control, it sure makes sense to market a system that convinces you that training a body part four times per month is your ticket to fast muscle gains. In fact, to augment your position you could say that it's the best way to build muscle because, after all, there's a single best way to do everything, right?

And while you're at it, throw in a philosophy, say, objectivism, that was devised from a philosopher who knew nothing about building muscle. Quote her whenever you can to make your bodybuilding case even more solid. Brilliant!

Promoting a system that only requires one workout per body part every 7-10 days with 20 minute sessions is a great marketing strategy. Hell, every 2 A.M. infomercial I've ever seen promises the same thing. So it must be a great system! I can't tell you how many times a world-renowned strength coach has mentioned the power of a few 20 minutes sessions each week for building professional athletes and bodybuilding champions.

Okay, I'll step back from the sarcasm for a second. Infrequent training regimens are a good marketing strategy, but the results suck. Those who believe that infrequent training plans are best should have a fountain dropped on their head.

The Science is in the Evidence

Bodybuilders are known for being the most diligent of all species when it comes to nutrition. Indeed, many bodybuilders are undaunted by the presence of even the most alluring, physique-wrecking foods. Nope, they'll eat whatever they need to eat, along with any amount necessary in order to add just a few pounds of muscle.

I applaud their tenacity; however, even if they hired Dr. John Berardi to monitor every bite of their food for the next two months, they wouldn't build huge amounts of muscle. Nope, not without an extremely effective bodybuilding plan – a plan that's so powerful that even those who throw caution to the nutritional wind build muscle.

The best evidence for any hypothesis is based on real-world observations. What I mean is this: if I want to develop the most effective hypertrophy plan, then I should collect data from the people who built muscle withouteven trying. After all, we all know how difficult it is to build muscle at any rate – especially a fast rate.

Therefore, the best group to analyze would consist of people who don't give a damn about building muscle, and barely consume enough protein to meet the sub-par RDA standards. If these people built bigger muscles, then I've found one helluva good population to analyze.

I feel I've designed the ultimate hypertrophy program without evidence from the bodybuilding world. Yep, that's right. The origin of this program lies in the hypertrophy I witnessed from your everyday Joes. After all, if a mechanic can build up his forearms faster than a bodybuilder without even knowing that protein drinks exist, that's some pretty strong evidence to support what the mechanic is doing.

Think about how often a full-time mechanic grabs, grips, and twists with his forearms on a daily basis. Growing up in Redneckville, USA has provided me with plenty of data. I've seen new mechanics add an inch to their forearms within the first six weeks of starting a job in a repair shop. What do you think the nutritional plan of a typical mechanic consists of? I'll tell you what it consists of: beer, tobacco, and saturated fat.

But forearms are notorious for being muscle groups that respond best to lots of volume, so that isn't a good example, right? Well, that's bullshit, but I'll go along with it to establish my position.

So is there any other evidence to support regimens that build muscle in non-lifters? You bet there is! In fact, there's so much evidence that I could spend the entire article writing about it, but that's what my future book is for. In the meantime, let's look at another group of non-lifters who built muscle without trying: rock climbers.

Here's the interesting part: rock climbers don't want any extra muscle! In fact, it's safe to say that rock climbers represent a case study in catabolism. Not only are professional rock climbers not seeking hypertrophy, they're avoiding it! Yep, every extra ounce of muscle they add is an extra ounce that they have to lug up a mountainside.

I used to be the head trainer at an extreme fitness gym in a major city. At this gym, we had the crème de la crème of artificial rock-climbing walls. This wall attracted some of the top climbers in that area so I was fortunate to observe hundreds of climbers during my tenure at the club. Very few weighed more than 150 pounds.

I befriended a bunch of these lads and asked them about their training and nutritional regimens. They barely consumed enough food to maintain basic physiological functions, and their training was limited to climbing (minimal to no weight-training). Furthermore, most were deathly afraid of red meat, and were convinced that high-protein diets would detonate their kidneys. The highest protein intake ever reported to me by one of these climbers was 100 grams per day – and most of it was soy. But they all had proportionally large forearms, biceps, lats, and upper backs.

Then we have lumberjacks. Do you know any lumberjacks? If you do, tell them to take off their shirts so you can analyze their upper back development. Or, buy a ticket to one of those log-cutting events that you've probably seen on ESPN.

These guys possess upper back development that would impress any competitive bodybuilder. And the ones I know virtually live on Budweiser, gravy, and Copenhagen.

Any Other Evidence?

We're surrounded by a plethora of examples that support the efficacy of high frequency training. But I'll refrain from mentioning the calf development of soccer players, sand volleyball players, ballet dancers, and cyclists. And I'll refrain from mentioning the thigh development of downhill skiers and speed skaters. And I'll refrain from mentioning the shoulder, lat, and upper arm development of gymnasts who perform the rings, pummel horse, and uneven bar events.

And I'll refrain from mentioning that right-handed basketball players who favor their left leg when jumping all have bigger left calves. Since the people in question are athletes, I won't bring it up. Nope, I wouldn't even think of mentioning it.

Well, now that I've broached the subject of genetically-superior individuals, I'll give a few more important pieces of evidence. First, even though Arnold Schwarzenegger was one of the most genetically gifted bodybuilders in history, you've got to remember that his calves weren't genetically great. In fact, Arnold's calf girth was downright embarrassing.

So what strategy did the greatest bodybuilder of all time employ to build his calves? I'll let him tell you:

"I train them 30 to 45 minutes a day, six days a week." (1)

Okay, so he trained them six days a week, but did he do anything else? According to his book, he also sought to stimulate his calves throughout the day. For those who wanted bigger calves, he said:

"When you are walking, make an effort to go all the way up on your toes... " (1)

Six days of training per week along with tricks to stimulate the calves throughout the day. That's a lot of frequency!

Arnold has also mentioned that his left biceps used to be smaller than his right. He targeted the problem:

"I noticed that whenever I was asked to show my biceps, I would automatically flex the right arm. So I consciously made an effort to flex my left arm as much or more than my right. Eventually I was able to make my left biceps the equal of my right." (1)

With regard to Arnold's calves and biceps, notice that he didn't mention anything about stimulating the muscles more infrequently.

But the bodybuilding testimonials don't end with Arnold; I just mentioned him since he's often credited with being the first "thinking man's" bodybuilder. Bob Gajda, the 1966 Mr. Universe, also used high frequency training to build up his lagging body parts. (2) I could go on and on.

Nevertheless, I'll freely admit that many bodybuilders have extolled the benefits of super high intensity training to stimulate muscle growth. Dorian Yates comes to mind. But mind-blowing levels of intensity are virtually impossible to maintain for any length of time, not to mention that most of us also seek greater fitness levels.

Training your entire body for, say, four sessions each week will build up your overall fitness levels much higher than one set of a handful of exercises taken to failure every seven days. (Shameless plug: I discuss this topic at length in my upcoming book.)

Now, back to the story at hand. The previous examples were given to support the muscle-building power of training your muscles with a very high frequency, because all of the people in question did just that.

I Get Your Point, Now What?

So what does this all mean to someone who's trying to build muscle at the fastest physiological rate that their body allows? It means that you should be training your muscles with a high frequency – much higher than your body is accustomed to.

We've been brainwashed into believing that high-frequency plans are either not possible or only for genetic freaks. In either case, the information source is dead wrong.

Where everyone else has failed in the past is within their moronic periodization plans – or should I say, lack of periodization plans. Also, the mechanics, rock-climbers, and lumberjacks built muscle without any regard for nutrition. Now imagine what a total-body plan that involves sufficient carbs, protein, and fat could do for your physique!

But remember what I said in the beginning of this article regarding the answer to this puzzle: it's simple, but in a complicated way. The answer is simple; it merely involves increasing your frequency of training each body part during the week. But, we don't want our hypertrophy limited to an isolated portion of our body – we want hypertrophy across the entire body.

If the previous groups started training their entire bodies with the frequency they expose to their respective key body parts, they'd probably burn out in no time. This is where it gets complicated.

Furthermore, if you started training your entire body, say, six times each week then you'd probably end up in traction, not to mention that our bodies will adapt to a specific set of parameters in no time. Even if you respond best to 5 x 5 for hypertrophy, you've got to remember that the number of times you can perform 5 x 5 in a row is limited. With high frequency training, the plethora of training sessions each week would burn out the 5 x 5 parameters quicker than a politician pulls up his pants after a knock on his hotel room door. This is where it gets even more complicated.

Finally, it's not easy for any of us to get to the gym 8-10 times each week. I know it's tough to make time to train, and that's why it's taken so long to create this program: I had to make it as user-friendly as possible. But there's only so much I can do to make high frequency training a viable option for you.

Obviously, if I recommend that you train each body part for eight workouts per week, it's not possible to accomplish this in three sessions. Since most trainees go to the gym 3-4 times each week, sometimes I feel like my boat has been dropped upstream in a creek, sans paddle. And that's where things get very, very complicated for yours truly.

So, to devise this high frequency program I had to tackle the following challenges:

1) Quickly induce hypertrophy over the entire body without burnout.

2) Find a periodization plan that works for those who aren't genetic freaks.

3) Make it as user-friendly as possible.

Well, I've created just such a program!

The Waterbury High Frequency System

The purpose of this program, first and foremost, is to induce muscle growth. But not only will you build more muscle than you imagined, your work capacity and fitness levels will also skyrocket. Oh yeah, and soreness will quickly become a thing of the past due to your supercharged recovery ability.

This plan induces lightning fast hypertrophy by quickly building up the frequency of training each body part for eight sessions each week. Not only will you be performing eight sessions each week, but these will be eight total-body sessions. This will be accomplished in only eight weeks.

Sound impossible? It's not.

The efficacy of this program lies within the periodization plan. The frequency of stimulating each body part must be built up, dropped down, built up further, dropped down again, and then built up to its peak. (At least that's what I've discovered after five years of fine-tuning this system.)

The Waterbury High Frequency System is periodized into five phases. Here's a brief overview of each phase.

Phase I: Establish Frequency Stimulus

Purpose: To expose the primary muscle groups to four sessions each week with submaximal loads to manage fatigue. This will effectively prime the trainees who've only been training each body part 2-3 times per week.

Duration: 2 weeks

Phase II: Max Motor Unit Recruitment 1

Purpose: To retrain your nervous system to recruit the high-threshold motor units. Since Phase I was performed with submaximal loads, it's necessary to retrain your ability to recruit the largest, high-threshold motor units. By recruiting these large motor units, you'll also be recruiting all of the smaller motor units (muscles).

Purpose: To reestablish a moderately high frequency plan in order to force the muscles to recover more quickly between workouts.

Duration: 2 weeks

Phase IV: Max Motor Unit Recruitment 2

Purpose: To recruit even more high-threshold motor units than Phase 2. This phase will set you up for big gains in Phase V since you'll have enhanced your ability to recruit muscle fibers.

Duration: 1 week

Phase V: Peak Frequency Stimulus

Purpose: To force your muscular and nervous systems to recover from training in less than 24 hours.

Duration: 2 weeks

The Program

This is it. Five years in the making!

Addendum: Most of the sessions involve exercise pairings. If you absolutely can't alternate between exercises, perform all of the prescribed parameters before moving on to the next exercise.

Keep in mind that you'll need to lower the load to cater to incomplete rest periods from performing straight sets. If you must, substitute exercises with a similar variation. However, switching from back squats to leg extensions isn't a viable option; switching from back squats to front squats or hack squats is. You get the idea.

Off from weight training. No more than 20 minutes of medium intensity cardio (if desired).

Phase II

This phase consists of working up to a 5 repetition maximum (RM) for the following lifts. Start the session with approximately 70% of your 1RM for the lift, or a 12-14 RM. Perform 5 reps, rest and add 10%, perform 5 reps, rest and add 5%. Keep increasing the load 3-5% until you reach a comfortable 5RM.

Rest 1-2 minutes between the initial efforts; rest 2-3 minutes between efforts with higher loads. This shouldn't be a balls-out competition effort. Therefore, no face-slapping or screaming is required.

Off from weight training. No more than 20 minutes of medium intensity cardio (if desired).

Phase IV

This phase consists of working up to a 3 repetition maximum (RM) for the following lifts. Start the session with approximately 70% of your 1RM for the lift, or a 12-14 RM. Perform 3 reps, rest and add 10%, perform 3 reps, rest and add 5%.

Keep increasing the load 3-5% until you reach a comfortable 3RM. Rest 1-2 minutes between the initial efforts; rest 2-3 minutes between efforts with higher loads.

Add one set to each workout. For example, the AM Workout on Day 8 becomes 5 x 4 for all exercises.

Note: Phase V is organized with a 2 on, 1 off, 2 on, 2 off schedule. However, you can use any combination that fits your schedule as long as you don't lift three continuous days in a row. For example, some of my clients favor the 2 on, 1 off, 1 on, 1 off, 1 on, 1 off schedule.

Continue with Phase V for as long as you keep reaping benefits. Once you start feeling rundown, take a week off from Phase V and perform Phase IV. Then, return to Phase V.

The exercises I chose are some of my favorites, but feel free to throw in whatever variation tickles your training fancy. However, stick with my exercises for as long as possible.

Nutrition, Supplements, and Sleep

Calories: Eat as many as possible over the course of six meals each day. If you skimp on calories, you'll burn out fast during Phase V.

Greens+: Consume two full servings each day, either mixed in water or mixed in your protein drink.

Surge: Consume half a serving at the onset of your workout. Consume half to one full serving directly after with 5g of micronized creatine (you don't need to take creatine after both workouts during twice-daily sessions).

Spike: This workout supercharger is highly recommended before your AM workout. Nevertheless, take it before any session if you feel you need it.

Power Drive: If you don't use Spike, consume Power Drive before your workout, mixed in carbonated water. If you take Spike, consume Power Drive a couple of hours after any of your sessions. In either case, take Power Drive on an empty stomach. During twice-daily sessions, many of my clients take Spike before the AM workout and Power Drive before the PM workout.

Sleep: Unless you're one of the lucky few who don't need much sleep, you must get 8 hours each day. Find time for a 20 minute nap whenever you can to make up for any lost sleep.

Cardio: Any form of cardio or interval sprint training isn't recommended once you reach Phase V. That's not to say that it can't be done, but use extreme caution. Your fitness levels will skyrocket on this program without any cardio whatsoever, so don't think there will be any potential health ramifications by leaving the cardio out.

Stretching: Stretch your muscles between AM and PM sessions, if possible. Be sure to stretch your muscles on your off days.

Final Words

I know this plan won't be easy for some people to follow. And I know I'll get questions asking if the plan can be shortened, but it's quantitatively impossible. But hey, at least I crammed it all into four days, right?

Those of you who do follow the program (and follow it as prescribed with plenty of nutrition and rest) will be part of the next revolution of bodybuilding. Get ready!